During this time, Patricia Yates will take on the role of Acting CEO and Accounting Officer. Many of you will already know Patricia. She has been Director of Strategy & Communications here since 2007, having joined the organisation in 2005, and she is also Chair of the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group which has been convening regularly since January to support the industry and ensure tourism’s voice is heard during the COVID-19 outbreak. She will, of course, be supported by the rest of the senior management team.
All our efforts are focused on responding to the unprecedented challenges facing our industry. Our goal is to ensure that tourism rebounds to become one of the most successful sectors of the UK economy once more.
We are prioritising five areas:
- Government advisory
- Business support and communication
- Recovery preparation
- Staff welfare
- Business continuity, efficiency and effectiveness
Post-COVID-19, we will drive UK tourism recovery through leisure and business events marketing and activity and provide support to ensure that tourism businesses are ready to welcome our international and domestic visitors back.
As I am sure you are aware from our newsletters, when the time is right for you, we are bringing a little bit of Britain to people via a new social campaign to help keep us front of mind. We would love you to get involved.
In the meantime, we send you our very best wishes.
Steve Ridgway CBE
BTA Chairman
